Historic Spanish Revival church in Oakland resurrected as apartments

Converted from an abandoned church in Oakland, this lovely building offers studios, 1-BRs and 2BRs in a historic edifice.

Converted from an abandoned church in Oakland, this lovely building offers studios, 1-BRs and 2BRs in a historic edifice.

Photo: Rose On Bond.com

Photo: Rose On Bond.com

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Converted from an abandoned church in Oakland, this lovely building offers studios, 1-BRs and 2BRs in a historic edifice.

Converted from an abandoned church in Oakland, this lovely building offers studios, 1-BRs and 2BRs in a historic edifice.

Photo: Rose On Bond.com

Historic Spanish Revival church in Oakland resurrected as apartments

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This once grand, then abandoned building has been transformed into apartments: Oakland's Rose on Bond, on the National Register of Historic Places, is renting -- and already almost fully leased.

The building

The Rose on Bond is a strikingly well-preserved example of Spanish Revival architecture, as translated by Wythe, Blaine, and Olsen. It was built in the 1930s to serve as the Melrose Baptist Church.

The official leasing site tells us at the time, "The area was a fruit orchard with a few small bungalows." The structure "took up a whole city block in the Melrose neighborhood of Oakland."

Over the decades, the building served as a church, a mosque, and a school, before falling out of use. Despite being abandoned, however, it held its shape well. As the structure is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, that agency noted that "The design, materials, and workmanship are all intact."

The transformation

In 2016, developer Riaz Taplin won approval from the City of Oakland to transform the old church into apartments, promising to preserve "the circa-1930 building's historic assets," according to CurbedSF.

Taplin had planned to be done with the project by 2018; Now, he is finally finished. The results are as promised: new apartments outfitted for modern living within a carefully preserved facade.

The leasing website details features such as "quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, dishwashers, tile bathrooms, private outdoor space and designer finishes" in the units. On the property is "secure parking" for cars and bikes, along with community amenities "such as an outdoor barbeque, Luxor 1 package concierge, and well-maintained laundry facilities."

The community is also pet-friendly and convenient to public transportation.

For rent-- but not for long

The building is composed of 32 studios, 26 one-bedrooms, and two two-bedroom units.

Apparently, people are quite interested.

As of March 19, 2019, 97 percent of available homes at 1638 47th Avenue are already occupied, with rents ranging from approximately $1,800 to $2,050.

Anna Marie Erwert writes from both the renter and new buyer perspective, having (finally) achieved both statuses. She focuses on national real estate trends, specializing in the San Francisco Bay Area and Pacific Northwest. Follow Anna on Twitter: @AnnaMarieErwert.